God

I think from an early age I always believed there was a God, even though I didn’t always live that way.  A good part of my life has been lived without purpose, or reason, just basically doing my own thing with no real meaning just doing what I had to do to get by.  When I think back on my life I think about my rebelliousness and how much of it was just a waste.  I did help people at times but I also messed up some people’s lives, along with my own life.  I was always making bad choices and reaping the consequences of those choices.  It seemed like I was always in a downhill spiral trying to escape reality.  The only time it seemed I could be somewhat happy was when I was high on something and partying.  The problem was that when the substance wore off then I would be miserable again.

The reason I am writing this is that I hear so much from people that claim to be atheists that say that there is no God.  I have never been to Bible College and I don’t claim to be a scholar, but when I asked the Lord to be my Savior about 34 years ago my life and my perspectives were changed.  I was delivered from the party scene and the substance abuse and I had purpose in my life.  God gave me such a hunger for his Word, a love for people and a joy to be in His presence and in His church.  I could hardly get enough of His Word and I read many other books on Christianity and I was very involved in ministry.  When I committed my life to the Lord back then it was very easy to witness and I did it quite often.  At the time many people committed their lives to the Lord.  It seemed like the most opposition I had was from religious people who didn’t seem to understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with the Lord and who were into keeping regulations and rules, somehow trying to work their way to heaven.

I have talked to many people over the years, like I said, but in approximately 34 years things have dramatically changed and it is very hard to communicate with many people today because they have been so influenced by evolution, scientific theories, atheistic propaganda and other religions that claim you have to do good works to get to heaven.  Christianity is the only religion that claims that it is by grace you are saved, through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast; also that our righteousness is like filthy rags.  Think of this; if we could make ourselves right with God by any other means, or could work our way into heaven, then how would we know if we had done enough good works, and why did Jesus have to suffer and die and rise again if there was another way to get into heaven.

Check out Ephesians 2:8-9 for yourself, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

From my understanding, every other religion believes that Jesus was crucified except the Muslims, who believe Jesus was a prophet.  I heard a story that went something like this, so this is my version.  If you were going to marry someone would you give that person a book and tell them they had to keep all the laws, rules and regulations because you couldn’t possibly marry them now.  Then you tell the person that they would have to wait 20 years so that you could check out their integrity and their commitment before you married them.  That would be an insult, if you truly loved that person and that person truly loved you, you would get married and work out the details as you went along.  That is the way God accepts us, unconditionally, He doesn’t wait for us to clean up our act; He knows we can’t, so He accepts us and helps us to get cleaned up.  Outside of that we could never be righteous no matter how hard we try or how many good works we did.  When we repent and receive Him as our Lord and Savior He covers us with His righteousness and God’s Spirit comes in and dwells within us and our bodies become the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:15-19, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ He says, ‘shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

There are many prophecies in God’s Word that have come true and some are even happening in our world today.  Some of the oldest manuscripts and historians speak of the crucifixion of Christ and I for one believe that there is only one way to get to Heaven and that is through the work Christ did on the cross.

Think of this, if I am wrong I have nothing to lose because I wouldn’t want to live any other way, but, if you don’t believe and you are wrong, you have everything to lose.  Something to think about!  May you have a great day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!